Girls Day Out

"There is no wilderness like a life

without friends.

Friendship multiplies blessings

and minimizes misfortunes.

It is a unique remedy against adversity,

and it soothes the soul."

- Beltasar Gracian

My friend and fellow artist, Bernie Berlin, rolled in from Tennessee yesterday after delivering a precious cargo of dogs to Chicago. I hadn't seen Bernie in ages, so I was excited to get together with her, Kim, and Debbie for the afternoon. We planned to meet at a Cafe in Mequon at 12:30 p.m. Kim, Debbie, and I arrived there a little early. Bernie, on the other hand, got there a little late. But anyone who knows Bernie, knows that she has the best intentions of getting there on time... she just gets a little sidetracked!

(Kim, Deb, Bernie, and Myself)

But we didn't have to wait too long before she showed up. It was sooo much fun catching up with her! That girl always has a million different things going on in her life - I don't know how she does it! We did a lot of laughing, and never ran out of things to talk about.

When we left the cafe, we went to some nice shoppes and looked around. - And I thought I used to be a shopaholic... Geez, Bernie's got me beat! She did some real power-shopping and got a lot her Christmas gifts bought. And I'm proud to say I got a little Christmas shopping out of the way, myself.

But finally, it was time to say our goodbyes and head for home. I love getting together with the girls, and look forward to the next time Bernie comes to town.

I Can't Believe It...

My husband just got fired from his job, and for no reason! The boss didn't even do it himself...he had another employee over Mike do his dirty work for him.

Yeah...Merry Christmas...

A Gift From My Friend

"A true friend is the best possession."

-Anon.

Today, my friend Kim came over for one of our usual 'playdates' in my studio. We spent the entire afternoon working on projects and catching up with each other. Because my birthday was last week, she came over bearing gifts. Here is what she brought for me:

It was all tucked inside this wooden cigar box, topped with a bow (recycled from a gift I gave to her for her birthday).

When I opened the box up, I found a collection of found objects to add to my stash! Here are some close-ups of the gifts that were inside...

The first thing I saw were some old window markers. Kim made sure I knew these babies were hard for her to part with!...

She knows how much I love old religious items. There were two wonderful rosary boxes, and inside each one she tucked in some vintage medals...

This is a medal from the other rosary box...

And this is a tattered piece of old leather. You never know when you'll need that little added touch on an assemblage piece...

She even packed some 8mm film. Too bad we couldn't figure out what was the subject matter was...

And here is a strand of the cutest little pearls!!...

She even dismantled her husband's old binoculars, piece by piece...

And here's a tiny little bottle...

...And an old tintype....

And some brass doo-dads...

...And a box of cool little screws with numbers on them...

And last, but not least, some small stencils. What a fun gift!!!